“Seriously, what the fuck?” Turning my head, I find that the scenery above is the same all around, my body somehow floating in the middle of this fathomless space.The Middle…Rhea’s description of where her magic sometimes pulled her to and the name of the woman who resides here—one who acts almost as a seer of sorts, though that word isn’t one that is common in our vocabulary anymore—pushes to the forefront of my memory.
“It is an old word indeed, not one used for centuries but one that fits. In a roundabout way.”
Blinking, I look around for the owner of the voice that I know to be Selene as the scent of something flowery suddenly punctuates the air. Cold trepidation spikes when I realize I hadn’t spoken the seer comment aloud. Shit, hadn’t Rhea also told me Selene could hear thoughts?
“Welcome, Nox Flynn Daxel, Crown Prince of the Mage Kingdom, Prince of Stars, and Protector of the True Queen. IamSelene, and it is an honor to finally meet you.”
It takes a monumental amount of effort to bring myself up to a sitting position, as if there is a disconnect in the command from my mind to my body. Once I’m finally up, I draw a leg in and rest my elbow on it, cradling my aching head in my hand. “Just Nox is fine. That many titles is entirely ostentatious. And also incorrect.” Her laugh is gentler than the male’s was, and I swallow against the knot that forms in my throat at how much it reminds me of Rhea’s. “Should I be concerned that I’m here?”
“No.”
“Really? Because you certainly seemed concerned speaking to whoever that guy was,” I counter.
“It isunusualthat you are here. He was correct when he said your magic is made of the same celestial power that Rhea’s is, but I never thought…” She clears her throat multiple times. “It is just unusual,” she repeats.
“Andwhowas that male?”
“Another who resides here.”
An unhelpful answer, but one I choose to ignore in favor of a different question. “Where is Rhea?” I can’t imagine that if I am here, she wouldn’t be as well.
Selene is unnervingly quiet for so long that I wonder if she has left me, but eventually, she says, “I’m afraid I cannot tell you.”
Unsurprising. Rhea had complained about how the woman in the Middle often provided more questions than answers. Still, in this instance, it only grows my frustration. “It is easier for her to access this place while she is sleeping,” I muse, lifting my head from my hand and gazing at a particularly brightly burning star. “So if she isn’t here and I am, what does that mean?”
“What is your last memory?”
I lift a brow. “In general?”
Amusement seeps into her tone. “With Rhea,” she clarifies.
I open my mouth, prepared to pull from what should be a flood of memories, only to find that they are fragmented. “I can’t remember. Why can’t I remember?”
“It could be the magic that holds you here. Or it could be something else. Go further back until you can draw up a moment of the two of you that is unobstructed.”
Following her instructions, I finally land on a full memory. “The ball,” I murmur, furrowing my brows. “No, wait, it was just before that. When she said ‘yes.’” Yes to marrying me. Yes to a lifetime of her at my side, as my queen. Another memory flashes. The temple covered in flowers—a cobalt blue flame. “Not just my queen, butthequeen.”
“Yes,” Selene says softly, the scent of jasmine thick in the air around me. “Her reign will be one of heart and of blood.” I don’t know what to make of that. “What else?”
“We told my parents and the council about the engagement. The latter had summoned me and my father for a meeting on the matter. I found her after the meeting adjourned, and we danced.” I tilt my head to the side, trying to recount what happened next as a haze begins to creep in on the edges of my mind. Fuck, why is this so difficult?
“What else?” Selene prods gently. “Take the memory one frame at a time.”
It takes a stubborn amount of time, the throbbing between my temples growing the deeper I pull the memory free.
Dancing at the ball.
My tongue giving her pleasure.
Cass interrupting us.
Tienne—an involuntary growl leaps from my mouth at the death of a woman I knew to be good. At the perpetrator I knew was responsible.
And then…
As if I’ve tossed a spool of thread, the rest of the evening unravels piece by horrifying piece. I watch in stunned silence at the signs I missed—at how easily I allowed myself to be distracted. I can feel the salty air of the beach and sand beneath my knees as I collapsed onto it, a harrowing cry bellowing from some broken place deep within me.
Then there is only darkness. “Where is the rest?” I ask in a panicked rush. Selene doesn’t answer right away. “Selene! What happens next? Where is Rhea?”
